AMERICAS: Guyana’s FM Carl Greenidge said armed Venezuelan vessels were in one of the country’s rivers illegally.

ASIA: A group of South Korean officials crossed into North Korea to help prepare for a rare reunion next month of families separated by the Korean War.

EUROPE: Croatia and Serbia escalated a border dispute triggered by Europe’s migrant crisis, with each side further restricting cross-frontier traffic.

MIDDLE EAST: In Saudi Arabia, at least 310 people were killed and hundreds were injured in a stampede at the annual hajj pilgrimage.

TECHNOLOGY: The massive breaches of US government records resulted in the theft of some 5.6 million sets of fingerprints, raising their estimate from 1.1 million.

TOP STORY

Colombia: Landmark peace agreement signed between country and FARC rebels

Colombia and leaders from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) signed a breakthrough peace commitment setting the groundwork for a final accord within six months, President Juan Manuel Santos announced.

The agreement includes a formula to compensate victims and punish those suspected of human rights abuses.

Negotiators must still come up with a mechanism for rebels to demobilize and then the government needs to come up with additional money to spread the benefits of peace in parts of Colombia’s vast, jungled countryside that have known little else than war.

The US government lauded the breakthrough, with Secretary of State John Kerry saying that “peace is now ever closer for the Colombian people and millions of conflict victims.”

A lasting peace would also mark a huge advance for one of Latin America’s star emerging economies and could deal a setback to illegal narcotics trafficking.

Chile: The Chinese government has decided to provide the country with USD300,000 in humanitarian aid to help disaster relief work. (Xinhua)

Guyana: FM Carl Greenidge said armed Venezuelan vessels were in one of the country’s rivers illegally. (EFE)

Honduras: Jose Raul Amaya, a Honduran wanted on drug and money laundering charges by the US, was captured in the city of El Porvenir. (EFE)

ASIA

China: Kuang Wanfang, an economic crime suspect, was repatriated to the country due to cooperation between Chinese and US authorities. (Xinhua)

Indonesia:Police have arrested 18 migrants who were stranded in the waters off Java Island as they tried to reach Australia. (AFP)

Korean Peninsula: A group of South Korean officials crossed into North Korea to help prepare for a rare reunion next month of families separated by the Korean War. (AFP)

Taiwan: The country is suffering its deadliest ever outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue fever with a record high of 42 deaths, double the number that died in 2014. (AFP)

EUROPE

Region: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said a deal to relocate 120,000 refugees among EU countries was far from what was needed to resolve the continent’s biggest migrant crisis since World War II. (AFP)

Region: Croatia and Serbia escalated a border dispute triggered by Europe’s migrant crisis, with each side further restricting cross-frontier traffic. (AFP)

Hungary: A new record of 10,046 migrants entered the country, mostly via Croatia. (AFP)

Russia: The defense ministry says a guided missile cruiser will be involved in drills in the eastern Mediterranean — which could be near the Syrian coast. (AP)

MIDDLE EAST

Region: A senior Israel military official says the country has set up a joint mechanism with the Russian military to coordinate their operations in Syria. (AP)

Iran: A senior Chinese official has offered the country help with upgrading its manufacturing technology to boost its economy. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia: At least 310 people were killed and hundreds were injured in a stampede at the annual hajj pilgrimage. (AP)

Syria: President Bashar al-Assad attended holiday prayers at a Damascus mosque in a rare public appearance. (AFP)

Yemen: A suicide bomber struck a mosque in Sanaa, targeting Shiite worshippers that killed at least 25 people and wounded dozens during holiday prayers. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Technology: The massive breaches of US government records resulted in the theft of some 5.6 million sets of fingerprints, raising their estimate from 1.1 million. (AFP)

Technology:Chinese President Xi Jinping defended China’s right to impose its own regulations on the Internet at a meeting with top US technology leaders. (DPA)